Sous Chef

We are seeking an experienced, dependable, and organized Sous Chef to join the culinary leadership team at Matty’s Catering in New Berlin.

This is a hands-on leadership position in a high-volume catering kitchen producing food for weddings, corporate events, private parties, banquets, drop-offs, and other special events.

The Sous Chef will work alongside our culinary leadership team to lead daily kitchen production, organize staff, maintain food quality and consistency, and ensure events are completed accurately and on time.

This position is ideal for someone who is a strong cook but is also ready to lead people, solve problems, train others, and take ownership of kitchen operations.

Our catering environment is different from a traditional restaurant. Production changes based on the week's events, and much of our work involves preparing, cooking, staging, packaging, and organizing food according to event timelines and BEOs.

The ideal candidate is calm under pressure, organized, accountable, communicative, and comfortable making decisions while still working as part of a leadership team.

Responsibilities

• Help lead daily kitchen production based on BEOs, event timelines, production sheets, and kitchen priorities.
• Direct cooks and prep staff throughout the shift and help ensure work is assigned appropriately.
• Cook and oversee production of proteins, sauces, pastas, vegetables, sides, appetizers, and other catering menu items.
• Maintain consistency in recipes, portions, presentation, quality, and yields.
• Ensure food is properly cooked, temped, cooled, labeled, stored, and staged for upcoming events.
• Review upcoming events and anticipate production needs before they become last-minute problems.
• Help organize workflow when multiple events or production priorities are happening at the same time.
• Train and develop cooks and prep staff on recipes, equipment, food safety, organization, and Matty’s kitchen standards.
• Communicate production status, shortages, mistakes, equipment issues, staffing concerns, and other needs to culinary leadership.
• Help maintain organized walk-ins, freezers, dry storage, and production areas.
• Support inventory, receiving, product rotation, waste reduction, and proper use of ingredients.
• Ensure kitchen cleanliness, sanitation, food safety, and temperature standards are consistently followed.
• Step into different stations or responsibilities as needed to keep production moving.
• Help create a kitchen culture built around teamwork, accountability, communication, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Previous Sous Chef, Kitchen Lead, Lead Cook, Catering Chef, Banquet Cook, or similar leadership experience preferred.
• Strong cooking skills and experience working multiple kitchen stations.
• Comfortable leading and directing a team while remaining hands-on in production.
• Ability to read BEOs, recipes, production sheets, prep lists, and event timelines.
• Strong understanding of food safety, temperature control, cooling, labeling, storage, and sanitation.
• Comfortable using commercial kitchen equipment safely and correctly.
• Strong organization and time-management skills.
• Ability to prioritize work and adjust when event counts, staffing, or production needs change.
• Ability to train employees and give clear, respectful feedback.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
• Dependable attendance and reliable transportation.
• Ability to work independently and make appropriate decisions when senior culinary leadership is unavailable.
• Ability to stand for extended periods and safely lift and move typical kitchen products and equipment.

What We're Looking For

We are not simply looking for the fastest or most experienced cook in the kitchen.

We're looking for someone who can eventually walk into a shift, understand what needs to happen, organize the team, communicate expectations, execute the food, and leave the kitchen in a better position for the next event.

You should be comfortable saying:

“I’ve got the kitchen.”

And having the organization, culinary ability, and leadership skills to back it up.

Schedule & Compensation

• Full-time position
• AM and PM availability
• Weekday and weekend availability required based on event volume
• Catering schedule varies depending on events
• No traditional late-night restaurant closes
• Compensation based on experience
• Opportunities for increased responsibility and advancement within the culinary team

Join Our Team

Matty’s Catering is building a stronger culinary operation centered around consistent food, organized production, clear communication, training, and accountability.

This is an opportunity for an experienced culinary professional to do more than cook. You'll help develop people, improve systems, execute events, and play an important role in the continued growth of the catering kitchen.

If you're a strong cook who enjoys leading people and making kitchens run better, we'd like to meet you.

Pay: From $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Work Location: In person